According to a recent study, some people who have eyesight field deficit in both eyes due to glaucoma can still pass a standard driving test by increasing their optical scanning. The research will be conferred at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2015, which will happen next week in San Diego, CA.
Presenting in the journal Optometry and Vision Science, the team, along with Dr. Enkelejda Kasneci of the University of Tübingen in Germany, makes clear how the drivers that they have tested heightened their optical scanning - particularly by moving the head and eyes more frequently - to recoup for the deficit of optical field caused by glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a faction of circumstances that deteriorates the optic nerve, usually because of an accumulation of strain in the eye. It usually grows in both eyes, but it can develop more rapidly in one than the other.
There are distinctive types of glaucoma, the most accepted being is the continuous open-angle glaucoma, which only has a few manifestation. People who develop it frequently do not recognize it at first because it starts with the deterioration of peripheral vision and gradually works against the center.
Driving performance compared with head and eye movement
For the current study, the analysts requested the participants to engage in a driving test in one of the world's most state-of-the-art driving simulators, located at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center in Sindelfingen, Germany. The moving-base simulator consists of a real car body, 360-degree optical projection and absolute acceleration.
The analysts determined fitness to drive in accordance to the requirements of the official German driving test. They also studied other facets of the person's driving conduct, such as lane keeping,speed and steering stability.
Evaluation of the perilous circumstances and driving performance according to the German driving analysis were made by an authorized driving instructor, who did not know which of the drivers had normal vision and which had glaucoma.
